Last week, I shot three new houses for a friend down in Austin. The houses were ALMOST ready for listing, but there was finishing work remaining on each of them. The landscaping was not done yet. Driveways and walks were muddy; floors were dusty. There was a temporary utility pole in one yard, and some rubble in the yards. But because of the pressure to get these houses on the market, my friend asked me to shoot them as-is and Photoshop where necessary.
See How I Added Grass, Cleaned the Driveways, and Mopped the Floors Without Breaking a Sweat!
NOTE: Click on the two top slideshows to see them larger.
Getting Rid of Dirt, Adding Grass
AFTER: driveway and walks have been cleaned up to a reasonable degree, and sod has been "laid" with Photoshop
BEFORE: drive and walk were muddy, and the sod had not been laid yet.
Cleaning the Floors
With Photoshop, I greatly reduced the appearance of dust on the floor, and cleaned up a few other things in the room.
Beautiful stained concrete floors needed a good mopping. Dust seems magnified by a still photo.
More Before and After Shots
BEFORE: several things to be finalized before listing the house
AFTER: grass placed with Photoshop. Drive and walkway cleaned up.
BEFORE: Notice the shadows on the bare ground. It's subtle, but some of that shadowing is represented in the AFTER photo (next)
AFTER: grass "placed" with Photoshop, and brought in some of the mottled effect of the shadows we could see on the bare ground.
BEFORE: Notice the bare ground and pile of dirt in the carport!
AFTER: Nice and tidy. Just a little plastic if you know to look for that, but it passes muster to casual viewers.
BEFORE: bare ground
AFTER: Grass "placed" with Photoshop
BEFORE: Several challenges with this one, including bare ground, some trash, and a step stool.
AFTER: Most of the trash cloned out, and grass "placed" with Photoshop
Here are the listings for the two houses which went on the market (a third house had already been sold): House One, House Two.
We do 360° panoramas of homes and businesses. Sometimes a good panorama is the BEST way to let potential buyers and visitors know what they can expect.
HDR Photos? YES!
It only makes sense to take advantage of high dynamic range photography. Our HDR photographs are an attempt to emulate what the amazing human eye and brain can take in.
Retouching? YES!
Some blemishes are temporary (brown grass, a gloomy sky). And some possessions are too valuable for the public to see or recognize. Retouch them! Ethical principles DO apply here.
